Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
The verse introduces the message from the Lord in the chapter, which shows the importance of the Sabbath and reveals God as Sanctifier and Redeemer. It stands in Ezekiel 20 to 22 and in Ezekiel 1 to 24 as prophetic warnings uttered before the destruction of Jerusalem for correction, denunciation, and reproof. It was given as a message to the captives explaining the steps that led to Israel's dispersion.
The chapter records the Dark Ages of the Jewish church, when apostasy in idolatry prevailed, the faithful were persecuted, and judgment followed in the captivity of the Jews. It shows that Israel polluted the Sabbath throughout the forty years in the wilderness, despite the Sabbath's importance, and that the generation that came out of Egypt was excluded from the promised land for Sabbath-breaking and other sins. It shows that before the Babylonian captivity, during Israel's idolatry, the people gave very little regard to the Sabbath. Idolatry combined with Sabbath desecration brought Israel into trouble, and Israel's refusal to worship God led Him to give them up to worship the host of heaven and images representing heavenly bodies.
The chapter reveals the importance of the Sabbath by connecting dreadful curses with disobedience to it, standing with the large promises connected with obedience in Isaiah 56 and 58 as part of the unbroken testimony to God's Sabbath institution from creation to the final rest. It witnesses to the Sabbath as an enduring institution with sanctifying influence distinct from the other days of the week. As part of Ezekiel it belongs to a prophecy abounding in sublime images and lofty ideas lifting the mind to the open heavens and the throne of God, and it means that sin must be forgiven or it will be consumed. In Ezekiel 20:45-48 the unquenchable fire is a fire that cannot be stopped before it consumes what it burns, an image used to teach complete destruction, not endless conscious torment.
The verse introduces the message from the Lord in the chapter, which shows the importance of the Sabbath and reveals God as Sanctifier and Redeemer. It stands in Ezekiel 20 to 22 and in Ezekiel 1 to 24 as prophetic warnings uttered before the destruction of Jerusalem for correction, denunciation, and reproof. It was given as a message to the captives explaining the steps that led to Israel's dispersion.
The chapter records the Dark Ages of the Jewish church, when apostasy in idolatry prevailed, the faithful were persecuted, and judgment followed in the captivity of the Jews. It shows that Israel polluted the Sabbath throughout the forty years in the wilderness, despite the Sabbath's importance, and that the generation that came out of Egypt was excluded from the promised land for Sabbath-breaking and other sins. It shows that before the Babylonian captivity, during Israel's idolatry, the people gave very little regard to the Sabbath. Idolatry combined with Sabbath desecration brought Israel into trouble, and Israel's refusal to worship God led Him to give them up to worship the host of heaven and images representing heavenly bodies.
The chapter reveals the importance of the Sabbath by connecting dreadful curses with disobedience to it, standing with the large promises connected with obedience in Isaiah 56 and 58 as part of the unbroken testimony to God's Sabbath institution from creation to the final rest. It witnesses to the Sabbath as an enduring institution with sanctifying influence distinct from the other days of the week. As part of Ezekiel it belongs to a prophecy abounding in sublime images and lofty ideas lifting the mind to the open heavens and the throne of God, and it means that sin must be forgiven or it will be consumed. In Ezekiel 20:45-48 the unquenchable fire is a fire that cannot be stopped before it consumes what it burns, an image used to teach complete destruction, not endless conscious torment.